What's on the menu today, RNYers?

Hi OH friends,

Hoping some vets will participate in today's post!  We had lots of awesome conversation on this post yesterday!  It made me curious - what are your nutritionist's feelings on 3 meals a day vs. 3 meals and 2 or 3 snacks?  I know plans vary A LOT.  My NUT feels very strongly that we should have 3 meals and no snacks.  In her view, snacks will allow more calories to sneak in, especially as we can eat more...and could lead to grazing.  I try to stick to that but if I work out after work, I may have a little something in the afternoon.  This can make it difficult to fit in tons and tons of protein since I can only eat maybe 4 oz and it's hard to get 30 g of protein in a 4 oz meal!  So I am curious what some of the long-timers do, as well as everyone else!

Time Since Surgery: 4 months, one week

B: 12 oz of unsweetened almond milk, 1 1/4 scoops of Syntrax matrix mint cookie shake

L: 3 oz Boar's Head honey turkey, 1 oz colby jack cheese

D: Leftover fajita chicken, sauteed onions, 1/8 cup of shredded Mexican cheese, Cholula hot sauce!

S: Doubtful - not well prepared since I am about to travel

Totals: 615 calories, 75 g of protein, 17 g carbs, 25 g fat

E: 25 minutes personal training, 35 minutes treadmill 

V: Gotta get on it

W: Ummmmmmmmmmm

What's on your menu today?  Em

Good Morning DCgirl and other friends! Yummy chicken fajitas! LOL! It is always nice to review the thread and see a lot of activity. I like reading the menus and the chatter between friends. I, too have always noticed the vast difference in NUT stance on snacks or simply 3 solid meals. I did not have a NUT but my first surgeon said snacks were okay and my second one said no. However, I am almost 5 years out and am used to snacks and my body is used to snacks so I have snacks. LOL! I have found that my sugar drops and I get shaky if I do not have them. (Yes I have tested it to confirm that is in fact my sugar being low-not an excuse to eat. LOL!)  I woke up with a headache so I tried the Syntrax Nectar Wild Grape. It was good (a little clumpy). Now I am having my iced coffee protein shake and working on my third bottle of water. So my protein is already at 39 grams and my water at 48 ounces. Have a great day and take care! Sara

  Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Sara, if you don't already have one, I highly recommend a mixer/shaker bottle for your protein shakes! Something like this. I can't take the clumps!

Thanks AnnyBananny! I thought I could just pour it into my water bottle and shake it but it foamed up and then clumped up. I was turned off trying to drink it. UUUGGGHHH! 

Yeah, the first time I tried it I just put it in a glass and tried to mix it with a spoon - nope - didn't work. The Nectar definitely does foam up with the water, but if you let it settle for a minute it will go down. Right now I'm going a full scoop (I think you have the sample packs, so a whole pack) with 8oz of water/almond milk. Though I think I'm going to up it to 12oz of liquid soon to the same single scoop. The blender cup thing is REALLY helpful. 

WOW, great numbers this early in the day, Sara!  I also use shaker bottles with that metal ball inside.  It's a must.  Shaking things in a water bottle always = clumps for me :(

Up and moving early today as I have a busy one. My dietitian and surgeon originally told me three meals and no snacks. My blood sugar would get so low overnight( I tested it with Hubby's meter) that I woke physically ill every morning so they then OKed a bedtime snack. Once I got to goal and below they told me to eat every 3-4 hours so I now have an afternoon and bedtime snack. I'm not able to get enough calories in right now without it and was continuing to lose. I got down to the underweight range. Never thought that would be me! On to today. B 1/2c steel cut oats with nuts and 1/2 banana with natural peanut butter L 31/2 oz tilapia leftovers and 1/2 c sweet potatoes  S on the road so whole grain crackers with peanut butter D 31/2 oz beef rib tips and 1/2 c broccoli S 3/4 c Greek yogurt with nuts. On track with vitamins and fluids. Exercise getting ready to do 30 minutes on treadmill(2.113 miles) and then 20 minutes on the bike. Have a great day everyone!

Underweight.  That is a foreign word to me lol.  I cannot even imagine that happening.  But hey, never say never, right?  It sounds like you have found the right combination of meals and snacks.  I would have way too many calories if I ate that often because each meal is about 200 calories.  

I never imagined it in the same sentence with my name either! Yes I seem to have the situation in line for now. If I eat any fewer calories I lose weight. I do exercise every day all out for 50 minutes and I am about 20 months post op. My weight today was 121.6. I still never really feel hungry so I just eat for fuel.

Morning all!

I was interested in the snack debate too. This is just my know-nothing newbie opinion, but frankly I can't see how snacks can be a bad thing as long as they're planned and tracked. Having a handful of almonds or a string cheese stick between meals should be ok IF you make sure you have the room in your macros for the day for them, and IF you enter them in whatever form of tracking you use. Planned snacking is very different from grazing, IMO. I feel part of the very definition of grazing is mindlessness. If you are mindful about snacks and they contribute to meeting your goals, how can that be a bad thing? I will plan on asking my NUT what she thinks the next time we get to talk, as we've never even talked specifically about snacks before.

My menu for today is a little light in calories, as we're meeting a friend of the husbeast's for dinner. Looking at the menu for the place I think the flatiron steak is a good option, but I'm leaving some wiggle room for changing it up. If I don't add something at dinner to bring me closer to calorie goal, I'll probably add a shake before bed. Meanwhile, the sun is shining and the birds are chirping here, so I'm off to go places and do things shortly!

Hope everyone has a GREAT day!